1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera and an image forming system for using related information for image processing recorded by the camera during photographing or the like to perform a photographed image by the camera, resulting in forming a high-quality image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, printing of an image photographed on a photographic film (simply referred to as a film, hereinafter) such as a negative film, a reversal film on a photosensitive material (a printing paper) is mainly performed by projecting the image of the film to the photosensitive material, and subjecting the photosensitive material to surface exposure, i.e., direct exposure (analog exposure).
On the other hand, recently, a printing equipment based on the use of digital exposure has been made available. In other words, a digital photoprinter has is practically used, which is adapted to photoelectrically read the image recorded on the film, convert the read image into a digital signal, then execute various image processing operations to form image data for recording, scan and expose the photosensitive material by a recording illumination modulated according to the image data to record an image (latent image), and then execute printing (finishing).
In the digital photoprinter, the image is regarded as digital image data, and an exposure condition during printing can be decided by processing the image data. Accordingly, a high-quality print never available by the prior direct exposure can be obtained by suitably performing correction of image jumping or blocking caused by a back light, stroboscopic photographing or the like, sharpness processing, correction of color or density failure, and so on. In addition, composition of a plurality of images, image division, character composition, and so on, can be performed by image data processing, and a print freely edited/processed can be outputted according to use. Moreover, according to the digital photoprinter, not only the image can be outputted as a print (photograph), but also the image data can be directly outputted to the recording medium to be used for various purposes other than the photograph.
Such a digital photoprinter basically comprises: an image input device having a scanner (image reading device) for photoelectrically reading an image recorded on a film and an image processor for processing the read image into output image data (exposure condition); and an image output device having a printer (image recording device) for scanning and exposing a photosensitive material to record a latent image according to the image data outputted from the image input device and a processor (developing device) for subjecting the exposed photosensitive material to development, and then executing printing.
As one of the causes of image quality deterioration when the image photographed on the film is reproduced in the form of a print, there is so-called aberration, which is caused by the lens performance of the camera.
For example, even in one lens, refractive indexes vary among red (R), green (G) and blue (B) lights. Consequently, so-called magnification chromatic aberration occurs, where even in the same position of a scene, image forming positions on the film are shifted among the R, G and B lights. When the image photographed on the film is reproduced, color shifting occurs in the obtained image. In addition, in order to obtain a proper photographed image, on a plane vertical to an optical axis, an image must be formed on an image forming surface in corresponding relation to such a state. However, in a normal lens, an image forming surface is relatively shifted in a direction of an optical axis, thus distorting a formed image, that is, generating so-called distortion aberration. Consequently, when an image photographed on a film is reproduced, the obtained image is distorted.
Other causes of image quality deterioration may include a reduction of marginal illumination amount, in which the image becomes darker in the marginal part than in the optical axis, focus deviation in which a focus position varies in the surface direction of the film, and so on, all of which are caused corresponding to the lens performance.
Thus, various methods have been heretofore proposed to obtain a high-quality image (print) by correcting the quality deterioration of a photographed image caused by the lens performance, and so on.
For example, JP 6-237376 A discloses a deteriorated image restoration system, which is designed to record information of image quality deterioration as a cause of photograph deterioration in a photographic film, intrinsic to a camera main body or a lens, read this information during printing, and then execute restoration processing for the deteriorated image based on the read information.
JP 4-342241 A discloses a camera, which is designed to determine a marginal distortion state of a photographic screen based on information of a photographic angle of a view, and information of an object distance, record the information of the marginal distortion in a photographic film, and then correct the marginal distortion using this information of the marginal distortion during printing.
In addition, JP 9-281613 A discloses an apparatus and a method of photographic processing for recording information regarding a camera, a lens or the like on a photographic film, and correcting a deteriorated quality of an image using this information during printing.
Furthermore, JP 11-231465 A discloses a printing system, which is provided with a new bar code in addition to a DX bar code and an extended DX bar code, etc. recorded on a film heretofore, and designed to record, for example, lens characteristic data of a film having a lens or the like in a photographic film as new information, correct magnification chromatic aberration, distortion aberration, and so on, by using this information, and then output a high-quality image having no color shifting or distortion.
However, according to any of the above-mentioned conventional image quality deterioration correcting methods, information (mainly, lens information) indicating the cause of the deterioration of an image recorded on a film at a camera side during photographing is read at a printing system side, and based on this information, the image quality deterioration is corrected by using correction information corresponding to the information stored in a data base or the like at the system side. Consequently, information regarding a new product must be stored each time it comes out, thus causing an enormous increase in an amount of information to be stored.
The present invention is for overcoming the foregoing problem inherent in the conventional arts, and objects of the invention are to provide a camera and an image forming system, which are capable of forming a high-quality image by easily correcting image quality deterioration caused by a lens without an enormous amount of information, when photographing is performed by a single-lens reflex camera, a digital camera, a compact camera, a film having a lens or the like.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problem, a first aspect of the present invention is characterized by a camera for recording information related with deterioration of image used for image processing in at least one selected from a photographic film, a film cartridge and a recording medium, comprising: an information specifying unit which specifies at least one of image quality deterioration information related with image quality deterioration of the photographic image caused by a photographic lens of the camera and image quality deterioration correction information for correcting the image quality deterioration, and an information recording unit which records at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, or at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information in combination with photographing information as related information.
Here, it is preferable that the image quality deterioration information is at least one of magnification chromatic aberration information, distortion aberration information, reduced marginal illumination information, blur correction information and wide angle distortion information.
Further, it is preferable that the image quality deterioration correction information is at least one of magnification chromatic aberration correction information, distortion aberration correction information, marginal reduced illumination correction information, blur correction information and wide angle distortion correction information.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the photographic image is at least one of focal length information, diaphragm information, lens type identification information, manufacturer identification information, camera type identification information, strobe information and image deterioration identification information.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the information recording unit records at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, or at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information in combination with said photographing information, when fabricating loading or unloading the photographic film, the film cartridge or the recording medium into the camera or from the camera, photographing an image or before/after photographing the image.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the information specification unit selects and specifies at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information from among pieces of information prepared beforehand, and records the specified information by said information recording unit.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the information specification unit can select and specify all of a plurality of contents of the deterioration as a set, or each of the plurality of contents of the deterioration, regarding the image quality deterioration information.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the information specification unit can select and specify all of a plurality of contents of the correction as a set, or each of the plurality of contents of the correction, regarding the image quality deterioration correction information.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the information specification unit can select and specify at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, as a set of the photographed image in a vertical direction and that in a horizontal direction, or separately select and specify each of that in the vertical direction and that in the horizontal direction of the photographed image.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the information specification unit selecting and specifying at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information from among pieces of information prepared beforehand, and recording the specified information by said information recording unit, wherein a plurality of objects to be selected representing a plurality of deterioration contents and/or correction contents regarding the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information to be selected by the information specification unit are recorded on the photographic film, the film cartridge or the recording medium when fabricating the camera and at least one of said plurality of selection objects is selected and recorded when photographing.
Additionally, in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems like the first aspect, a second aspect of the present invention is characterized by an image forming system for reading information related with image deterioration used for image processing of a photographic image of the camera which is recorded in at least one of a photographic film, a film cartridge and a recording medium by the camera, and performing the image processing using the read related information, and forming a reproduced image of said photographic image comprising the steps of:
reading at least one of image quality deterioration information as to image deterioration of the photographic image caused by a photographic lens of the camera and image deterioration correction information for correcting the image quality deterioration recorded as the related information by the camera from at least one of the photographic film, the film cartridge, and the recording medium, or the at least one thereof in combination with a photographic information;
correcting the image quality deterioration based on at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image deterioration correction information, or the at least one thereof in combination with the photographic information; and forming the reproduced image.
Here, it is preferable that the image quality deterioration information is at least one of magnification chromatic aberration information, distortion aberration information, reduced marginal illumination information, blur information, and wide angle distortion information.
Further, it is preferable that the information of image quality deterioration correction is for performing at least one of magnification chromatic aberration correction, distortion aberration correction, marginal reduced illumination correction, blur correction, and wide angle distortion correction.
It is preferable that the photographing information is at least one of a focal length information, a diaphragm information, a kind of lens identification information, manufacturer identification information, a type of camera identification information, information of a strobe, and information of identifying image quality deterioration.
Further, it is preferable that at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information is prepared beforehand for each of all photographing conditions.
Furthermore, it is preferable that a plurality of patterns are prepared beforehand for at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, and the image quality deterioration is corrected using information selected and specified from among the plurality of patterns.
Furthermore, it is preferable that a plurality of patterns are prepared beforehand for at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, and the image quality deterioration is corrected using information selected and specified from among the plurality of patterns,
in which each of the information of image quality deterioration and the information of image quality deterioration correction to the prepared beforehand is respectively information of image quality deterioration and information of image quality deterioration correction under a representative photographing condition.
Furthermore, it is preferable that a plurality of patterns are prepared beforehand for at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, and the image quality deterioration is corrected using information selected and specified from among the plurality of patterns, in which each of image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information to be prepared beforehand is respectively information of image quality deterioration and information of image quality deterioration correction under a representative photographing condition and in which under a photographing condition other than the representative photographing condition, correction is performed by interpolation from the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information under the representative photographing condition, and by calculating new information of image quality deterioration and new information of image quality deterioration correction.
Furthermore, it is preferable that a plurality of patterns are prepared beforehand for at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, and the image quality deterioration is corrected using information selected and specified from among the plurality of patterns, in which the information of image quality deterioration correction for which the plurality of patterns are prepared beforehand, is fine-adjusted.
Furthermore, it is preferable that at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information is prepared beforehand for each of all photographing conditions, in which the each of all photographing conditions is defined by at least one of information of a diaphragm, information of a focal lengths and information of a strobe.
Furthermore, it is preferable that at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information is prepared beforehand for each of all photographing conditions, in which correction of the image quality deterioration of the photographic image caused by the photographic lens is performed by each of contents of the correction as a set, or separately performed by each of contents of the correction.
Furthermore, it is preferable that correction of the image quality deterioration of the photographic image caused by the photographic lens is performed as a set of the photographed image in a vertical direction and that in a horizontal direction, or separately select and specify each of that in the vertical direction and that in the horizontal direction of the photographed image.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the related information of at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information is managed on a network, and downloaded or referred by way of said network if necessary, in which correction of the image quality deterioration caused by the photographic lens is performed based on the related information which has been downloaded and referred.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the related information of at least one of the information of image quality deterioration and the information image quality deterioration correction is managed on a communication network, and downloaded or referred by way of the network if necessary, in which correction of the image quality deterioration caused by the photographic lens is performed based on the related information which has been downloaded and referred, and in which at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the information of image quality deterioration correction information is managed by a manufacturer""s server, access is made to the manufacturer""s server by way of the network using at least one of the manufacturer identification information, and lens identification information in combination with said manufacture""s identification information thereafter the related information is referred and downloaded to perform correction of the image quality deterioration caused by the photographic lens based on the related information which has been downloaded or referred.
Furthermore, it is preferable that after completion of the correction of the image quality deterioration caused by the photographic lens, at least one of print outputting and image data outputting is performed.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the camera is a camera for recording information related with image deterioration of image used for image processing of a photographic image on at least one of a photographic film, a film cartridge and a recording medium, comprising:
an information specifying unit which specifies at least one of image quality deterioration information related with image quality deterioration of the photographic image caused by a photographic lens of the camera and image quality deterioration correction information for correcting the image quality deterioration, and an information recording unit which records at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information, or at least one of the image quality deterioration information and the image quality deterioration correction information in combination with photographing information as related information.